THE Royal Malaysian Customs Department recorded 2,333 cigarette-smuggling cases involving seizures worth RM476.3 million, including duties and taxes, in the first eight months of the year, with enforcement efforts now targeting entire smuggling networks rather than just retail sellers.
Customs director-general Datuk Amran Ahmad said syndicates were constantly changing their tactics to evade detection, while field investigations had confirmed that migrant workers were being assigned to sell cigarettes on which duties and taxes had not been paid.
“Investigations show that individuals assigned to sell cigarettes at retail premises are only one component of the entire distribution chain.
“The department’s main focus is to dismantle the entire syndicate network, including suppliers, stockists, distributors and masterminds who profit from smuggling, regardless of whether the operation is masterminded by migrants,” he said.
Amran said investigations were being conducted transparently to ensure those who committed offences were brought to justice.
He said the department would continue strengthening intelligence-led operations, risk analysis and inter-agency cooperation to reduce the supply of smuggled cigarettes in the market.
Customs had also detected an increase in cases indicating that syndicates were increasingly exploiting migrant workers to sell illicit cigarettes at retail premises, he added.
To address the changing tactics, the department was expanding its enforcement approach through data-driven intelligence monitoring, he said. - October 23, 2026